Mop holder and wringer



Jan. 28, 1941.

"1' 1k Nl/ /7 P/vans E. c. BAKEMEIER 2,230,101 MOP HOLDER AND WRINGER Patented Jan. 28, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MOP HOLDER AND WRINGER Edward C. Bakemeier, near Indianapolis, Ind.

Application April 15, 1940, Serial No. 329,707 x 6 Claims.

This invention relates to hand mops, particularly for scrubbing floors, but also adapted for use elsewhere as may be desired.

A principal object of the invention is to provide a mopping element of flexible cords which will be folded double in use but elongated to a single ply for wringing without requiring the user to stoop over or touch the mop with his hands.

A further object is to provide a durable and inexpensive article which is easy to operate by inexperienced persons.

The object also is to provide a cord mopping element which will not tangle and bunch in use and to improve the details of the handle and attachment of the mopping element thereto.

I accomplish the above and other objects which will hereinafter appear, by the means illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation of my improved mop and handle in position for mopping use, showing portion broken away and in partial section to better illustrate otherwise obs-cured parts;

Fig. 2 is a like view with the parts in relative positions with the mopping element in single ply elongation at the end of a wringing operation, with the middle portion of the mopping element broken away;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view on a larger scale of the device as seen looking at the cap at the top end of the handle;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail of the handle and cap at its end in partial section of the cap; and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail of the sliding sleeve partially in section, showing particularly the means for connecting the mopping element thereto.

Like characters of reference indicate like parts in the several views in the drawing.

A handle 6 is preferably a long cylinder of wood, but may be of other material. Attached to its lower end by a bayonet joint in which a channel is entered by a pin 1, is a sleeve 8, having two annular channels in the lower one of which a wire band 9 is seated which binds the ends of a series of flexible cords forming the mopping element ill to the sleeve. The end of the sleeve is preferably hemispherical against which end the ends of the cords l0 are laid and there secured by tying or stitching them together.

A coil at the small end of a spirally wound tapering spring coil II is laid and fastened in the upper annular channel of the sleeve 8 as shown in Fig. 1.

The upper end of the handle 6 is reduced in diameter as shown in Fig. 4, and an annular channel is formed in the reduced portion. A sleeve I2 telescopes over the reduced portion of the handle 6 and is rotatably retained there by the set screw l3. The outer end of the sleeve is integral with an enlarged cap l4, which functions as a hand-hold in the operation of the mop as will be hereinafter described.

The handle 6 is formed with a longitudinal channel [5 extending from the lower end, for a major portion of the length of the handle, and communicates with a spiral extension [6 of several turns with a relatively long pitch.

Mounted on the handle I5 is a metal sleeve ll of sufiicient length to serve as a hand-hold. Formed in the inner surface is a seat in which a bearing ball i8 is seated. This ball enters the channel I5, causing the handle and sleeve to rotate together, but when the sleeve is raised, causing the ball to enter the spiral groove IS, the handle 6 will be rotated when the sleeve is held to keep the sleeve from turning. The member I9 is a covering of rubber for the metal sleeve [1 to increase the grip and the comfort to the hand in grasping the sleeve.

A mop head 20, preferably of wood, is removably secured to the lower end of the sleeve H by a bayonet joint comprising a suitable channel 2| and lug 22 so assembled that the head will rotate with the sleeve and is removed by turning the head in a reverse direction. This head 20 has an outside annular groove in which the upper ends of the cord mopping member ID are laid and secured by a wire 24. The upper end of the spring H is secured to the under side of the head 20, here shown by a staple 25, Fig. 5.

The operation of my invention is as follows: With the parts in the position shown in Fig. 1, the cords of the mopping element ID are folded double and the device is ready for use as a mop. To wring the mop, the operator grasps the cap M with one hand and the sleeve I! with the other hand. The sleeve I1 is pulled upwardly to the end of the straight channel l5 which expands the spring H as shown in Fig. 2. Then by a further outer travel of the sleeve I1, the handle 6 is caused to rotate by the travel of the ball l8 in the spiral channel l6, thereby twisting the cords of the mopping element l0 around the spring and handle. When the sleeve is moved downwardly to the straight channel I 5 and along it, the movement is assisted by the spring II which normally retracts to the nested position shown in Fig. 1.

To keep the cords H) from tangling and bunching they are preferably tied together part way in adjacent pairs by ties 21 as shown in Fig. 1.

While I have herein shown and described my invention in the one particular form, it is obvious that structural changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention and I, therefore, do not desire to be limited to that precise form beyond the limitations as may be imposed by the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a mop, a handle, a sleeve slidingly mounted on the handle, a mop head terminating the lower end of the sleeve, a second sleeve secured to the lower end of the handle, a flexible relatively long mopping member having one end secured to the mop head and its other end secured to the second sleeve and a spirally wound spring surrounding the handle and secured to the mop head and to the second sleeve, the attachment of the mopping member to the first sleeve being above the place of attachment of the spring to the first sleeve.

2. In a mop, a long cylindrical handle, a cap swiveled to the upper end of the handle, a sleeve slidingly mounted on the handle, a mop head secured to the sleeve, a second sleeve secured to the lower end of the handle, a flexible relatively long mopping member having one end secured to the mop head and its other end secured to the second sleeve, said handle having a straight groove extending from its lower end longitudinally of the handle for a distance approximately of half the length of the mopping member and said straight groove having a spiral extension of several turns with a relatively long pitch and said sliding sleeve having a member entering the groove in the handle.

3. In a mop, a long cylindrical handle, a cap swiveled to the upper end of the handle, a sleeve slidingly mounted on the handle, a mop head secured to the sleeve, a second sleeve secured to the lower end of the handle, a flexible relatively long mopping member having one end secured to the mop head and its other end secured to the second sleeve, said handle having a straight groove extending from its lower end longitudinally of the handle for a distance approximately of half the length of the mopping member and said straight groove having a spiral extension of several turns with a relatively long pitch and said sliding sleeve having a member entering the groove in the handle, and a spirally wound spring-coil secured to the mop head and to the second sleeve surrounding the handle.

4. In a mop, a handle, a sleeve slidingly mounted on the handle, a mop head terminating the lower end of the sleeve, a second sleeve secured to the lower end of the handle, a flexible relatively long mop-ping member having one end secured to the mop head and its other end secured to the second sleeve and a spirally wound spring surrounding the handle and secured to the mop head and to the second sleeve, the attachment of the mop-ping member to the first sleeve being above the place of attachment of the spring to the first sleeve, said spring being frustoconical in shape and normally longitudinally contracted to a nested position.

5. In a mop, a handle, a sleeve slidingly mounted on the handle to permit reciprocation longitudinally of and revolution about the handle, a second sleeve mounted in relatively fixed position on the lower end of the handle, a mop member surrounding the lower portion of the handle and interconnected by its upper and lower end portions respectively to said sliding and said fixed sleeves, and a spiral spring normally longitudinally contracted surrounding said handle within said mop member and having its ends secured to said two sleeves, whereby said sliding sleeve may be lifted and revolved about the handle to stretch out said mop member and the spring to wrap the mop member around the spring for wringing purposes.

6. In a mop, a handle, a sleeve slidingly mounted on the handle to permit reciprocation longitudinally of and revolution about the handle, a second sleeve mounted in relatively flxed position on the lower end of the handle, a mop member surrounding the lower portion of the handle and interconnected by its upper andv lower end portions respectively to said, sliding and said fixed sleeves, and a spiral spring normally longitudinally contracted surrounding said handle within said mop member and between said two sleeves,

whereby said sliding sleeve may be lifted and revolved about the handle to stretch out said mop member and the spring to wrap the mop member around the spring for wringing purposes, said spring being frusto-conical in nature with its larger diameter and fixed to said sliding sleeve and its smaller diameter end fixed to said fixed sleeve.

EDWARD C. BAKEMEIER. 

